Combined brush scraper and bail holder



July 11, 1944. A, GOR 2,353,555

COMBINED BRUSH SCRAPER AND BAIL HOLDER.

Filed May 1, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 11, 1944.

COMBINED BRUSH SCRAPER AND BAIL HOLDER Filed May 1, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A. J. GORE 2,353,555

Patented July 11, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINED BRUSH SCRAPEB AN D BAIL HOLDER Albert J. Gore, Washington, D. 0.

Application May 1, 1943, Serial No. 485,385

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in articles generally known as paint brush scrapers, that is, a device of the type adapted to be mounted in and carried by a small paint bucket thereby to permit the painter to scrape off excess liquid paint picked up by the brush during the clipping operation prior to applying the wet brush to the surface to be painted. This is usually done on the inside of the rim but even then some paint is carried over the top and runs down the side which sooner or later will cause damage to clothes or unpainted surfaces.

The present invention is directed to such an article as well as one which also has an added advantage in coacting with the handle or bail of the paint bucket to hold the same at an angle and to one side. As is well known to those familiar with the subject, it is almost essential that the bail of the paint bucket be moved to one side to prevent soiling the handle or ball as the brush is This invention accordingly consists in. the features of construction, combination of parts, and

in the unique relation of the various members and in the relative proportioning and disposition Fig. l is a vertical elevational view partly in section showing a paint bucket with one form of moved in or out, and it is also frequently desirable, especially when the paint remaining in the bucket is comparatively shallow, to tip the bucket to one side whereby the paint runs to the lowermost portions of the bucket. Accordingly, the

present invention not only acts as a paint scraper but is adapted to coact with the bail thereby to hold the bail relatively at one side of the central vertical plane to permit the brush to be easily dipped into or removed from the bucket without soiling the handle or dripping the paint on the outside of the bucket.

It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to provide a simple, practical, and selfcontained device preferably made from a single piece of wire bent into generally U-shape which will not only coact with the bucket and be rigidly held in place within the interior of the bucket, but also coact with the bail to hold the same relatively to one side of the normal central position.

A further object is to provide a device of the above character which may be relatively inexpensively manufactured by automatic machinery and formed of stock size to coact best with pails of certain capacity.

A further object is to provide a device of the above character which will hold the paint bucket handle or bail at any one of several adjusted positions according to the amount of paint in the pail and the angle at which it is desired to be suspended from a hook or the like on a painters ladder.

Other objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawings and in part hereinafter pointed out in connection with the following analysis of this invention.

device applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a similar view taken at right angles to Figure 1 with the bucket suspended;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a modification; Figure 4 is an elevational view of a further modification, certain parts being broken away; and Figure 5 is a detail view of one of the parts shown in Figure 4 and at right angles thereto.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2 showing one of the various possible embodiments, Ill indicatesan ordinary paint bucket of convenient two-quart;

on the outside of the bucketand arching over th top in the usual manner.

In Figure 1 the bucket isshown as resting on a horizontal surface while in Figure 2 the bucket is shown at right angles and indicated as being suspended from a wire hook l5 of any desired type such as used by painters for carrying the bucket suspended from one of the rounds of a ladder.

When the bucket is in this position of course thepaint indicated at H3 in Figure 2 flows to one side seeking its level.

' Referring now to the scraper device adapted to be mounted on this pail, this is preferably formed of a single piece of generally U-shaped wire so far as the paint scraper and handle-engaging parts are concerned. In other words, the wire has a substantially horizontal portion 20 of suffi cient width to cooperate with the bristles of a say four-inch paint brush. The opposite ends extend upwardly and are substantially the same except for one detail hereinafter more fully described. For example, the wire extends upwardly at each side at 2|, is bent into a loop 22 adapted to coact with the underside of the flange H and then extends inwardly towards the center of the bucket and over the top of the flange as at 23, then down on the outside to 'coact with the top of the bucket'at 24, and from there extends well above the top of the bucket as indicated at 25. The top end of this portion is then bent back upon itself as at 26 and terminates in an xtension 21 provided with one or more adjusting notches 28.

The opposite side of the scraper 20 is substantially the same except the part 2| extends laterally to one side as at 30 and then back under the flange forming a loop 22 prior to coming up to engage the inside of the flange and over, down and up as previously described to form the parts 23 to 28, inclusive, above described. If desired, a separate piece of wire 3| may be spot welded as at 32 to the part 2| at one end and to the horizontal portion 30 as indicated at 33. The wires 20 and 3| are not strictly parallel but tend to approach a V-shaped angle at 34. Thus, at the end of the painting session the bristles of the brush may be inserted between the parts 20 and 3| and moved relatively towards the left, thereby to scrape and squeeze the paint from both sides of the brush as well as from between the bristles thus largely cleaning the same.

In Figure 3 a second modification is shown in very simplified form. This is also generally U- shaped and comprises a horizontal rod 4|] the opposite ends of which bend sharply upwardly as at 4| and then inwardly to pass through holes 42 punched in the groove |2 of the paint bucket Ill. The upper and outwardly flared portions 43 of this device as sold are, of course, substantially straight but being of a relatively soft, flexible or pliable wire are, after being positioned, then bent downwardly and around the bail I3 as shown, thus holding the bail at an angle similar to that shown in Figure 2. By the extent to which these parts 43 are bent will be determined the angle at which the ball is secured with respect to the bucket, and the bend between the parts 4| and 43 will determine the vertical position of the part 40. It is, of course, to be understood that'a member corresponding to the part 3| in Figure 1 could be applied if so desired.

In Figure 4 we have shown a still further modification but of substantially the same general characteristics, that is, a paint scraper portion is provided with two uprights 5| at each end terminating in substantially straight extensions 52 of any necessary and desired length in order to accomplish the desired purpose. Over these extensions 52 is slipped an ordinary electric contact clip 53 of the spring jaw type that can be purchased separately at any hardware store. The clip is provided with a closed tubular portion 54 through which the part 52 is slipped prior to clamping down jaws 55 of the clip thus to hold the clip in relatively secure position along the parts 5|52 at the point desired. The lower part of the clip is provided with two crossed jaws 56 normally held in closed position by spring 51 to cause their extremities 58 to engage with the rim H or top of the paint bucket. Thus, by squeezing these jaws together the device may be easily slipped into place over the top of an ordinary pail with the part 50. dipping down into the pail but above the normal level of the paint to act as the paint scraper. The upper parts 52 are then either twisted around the bail |3 of the paint bucket as shown in Figure 3 or the extreme ends may be bent back upon themselves as shown in Figure 1 to provide an adjustable connection with the bail to hold the same at the proper angular position.

The operation .of the present device is clear to those familiar with the subject. The principal point is that a painter rarely has the bucket with which he is working at any particular time more than half full of paint. Consequently, the scraper portion which occupies the position at least an inch or two from the top of the pail is free and clear of the .paint. The central part of the entire device in each instance has a fixed relation with respect to the rim of the bucket and the upper part of each device coacts with the bail to hold the same at any desired angle with respect to the bucket and thus keeps the handle or bail out of the normal path of travel of the brush to and from the paint. The device is par ticularly useful to painters working on ladders for the weight of the paint in the bucket will hold the same in a fairly steady position so as not to rock relative to the pivot points of the bail. At the same time the bail may be easily supported from a hook as shown in Figure 2, thus leaving a wide, clear space for the insertion of the brush into the liquid |6 as indicated. The adjusting notches 28 on the device (Fig. 2) are convenient in varying the space according to the amount of liquid contained in the pail. Incidentally, it might be noted that as the device shown in Figure 1 is moved nearer one of the pivot points than the other, the angle at which the bail is held may be easily altered.

The present invention is very simple and inexpensive to manufacture and can be easily formed on automatic machinery now in common use from wire of stock size. All that is necessary is that the wire be suihciently stifi and strong to maintain the position to which it may be bent by hand. The entire device is reliable and efficient in use and operation and is well adapted to accomplish among other things all of the objects and advantages herein set forth.

Without further analysis the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, read ily adapt it for various applications without omitting certain features that, from the standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of the invention, and therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claim.

I claim:

.An attachment for paint buckets having a wire ball of the character described, comprising a single piece wire bent into substantially U-shape, the lower transverse portion of which is adapted to be positioned within a paint bucket to act as a brush scraper; each of the uprights of said wire being provided with spaced loops adapted to interlock with the top edge of a paint bucket, and the extremities of the uprights Ibeing bent to coact with the wire bail of the paint bucket and hold the same at any desired relatively fixed angle with respect to the normal vertical central plane cf the bucket.

ALBERT J. GORE. 

